In 1854, there was a cholera and typhus outbreak within the city of Hamilton. At the same time, many immigrants were crossing the Atlantic Ocean looking for a better life in the New World. Often ships were overcrowded, which led to the spreading of disease. Newcomers often did not have large support networks, like family and neighbours, upon their arrival. This made life even more difficult if the family was dealing with illness or the death of a loved one. Factors like these resulted in Hamilton having a large orphan population. The Sisters of St. Joseph established St. Mary’s Orphanage in 1852 in response to the rising concern for orphaned children within the city.
Initially, the Sisters cared for two orphaned girls in their first convent on MacNab and Cannon Streets. In 1857, an orphan girls’ quarters was located in the Sisters’ second convent at 204 Park Street. The girls lived in the Carmel Wing located under the novitiate. Additions to the property were made on various occasions to meet the needs of the increasing number of children. Both boys and girls resided on the property, although they were housed separately. In 1880, the boys were then moved to a wing in the House of Providence, which was a facility to care for the aged. The building had been donated by Reverend John McNulty. In 1900, the House of Providence burned down which meant that the boys had to move again, this time going into individual homes for care until a new building was opened on the convent property in 1909. In 1910, Mount Carmel Infants’ Home was built on Hamilton Mountain. Young, “delicate” children were cared for in this facility until 1926. In 1936, the girls of St. Mary’s Orphanage were moved from the Park Street convent to the newly built Mount St. Joseph Orphanage at 354 King Street West, a diocesan property. This became known as the Mount St. Joseph Girls’ Division of St. Mary’s Orphanage. The boys later joined the girls at Mount St. Joseph in 1951. This was the first time that the orphanage was co-ed. Mount St. Joseph was administered by St. Mary’s Orphanage.
In 1960, Mount St. Joseph Orphanage became Mount St. Joseph Centre, a school for emotionally disturbed boys. This Centre remained open until 1978.
The Sisters worked tirelessly to provide for the orphaned children. They also fostered children, whose parents paid for their room and board. One of the main ways that the Sisters funded the orphanage was through the annual Orphans’ Festival. This Festival not only helped raise funds for the orphans, but also instilled them with musical and theatrical talents. The festivals were heavily attended by the local community. The Sisters also went to surrounding rural communities to ask for donations and food for the orphanage.
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This sous-contains fundraising documents pertaining to rural collections and the Orphans’ Festival which show that the Sisters needed support from the surrounding community in order to operate the orphanage. Articles, tickets, programmes, and receipts from the annual Orphans’ Festival show the importance the event held, not only to the Sisters but also to Hamilton citizens. Financial records further illustrate how much money was needed to care for the orphaned children. The account books detail the necessary items Sisters purchased to successfully run the orphanage. The fee books show how much parents paid to foster their children. These records also demonstrate the needs the Sisters had on outside resources, like government grants and surrounding community funding. Documents pertaining to regulatory compliance are also found, including the 1965 Children’s Institutions Act and Regulations which outlines the rules the orphanage had to follow in order to operate within the law. Correspondence on a variety of topics is also present in the collection, including finance, education, and daily operations. There are photographs which offer a “snapshot” into the life of the orphanage. These images depict Sisters working in the orphanage, the Orphans’ Festival, children’s communion celebrations, and the dining hall. The sous-fonds also contains records created by the Advisory Committee of Mount St. Joseph Orphanage. These records outline the types of work the committee did, including structural changes to the building. There are several summaries of the history of St. Mary’s Orphanage, and a brief summary of the history of Mount St. Carmel Infants’ Home. The registers offer significant information about the children who remained in the care of the orphanage. These list information such as the orphan’s name, date of birth, religious denomination, nationality, date of admission and discharge, date of death [if applicable], and who took the child after he or she was discharged. There are also registers that list information about children who stayed for day stays, as well as children who were moved into foster homes. The sous-fonds contains information about orphans who received their religious sacraments, as well as baptismal records. Also found personal folders and admission cards, which provide information about application and departure, correspondence and parental addresses and occupations.
Order was imposed on the sous-fonds.
Records transferred from St. Mary’s Orphanage to the archives – Hamilton site, and then to the main archives.
No further accruals are expected.
July 2, 2020
The records are located at The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives.
Some records will be restricted to public access to protect privacy.
The Archives reserves the right to restrict access to the collection depending on the condition of the archival material, the amount of material requested, and the purpose of the research. The use of certain materials may also be restricted for reasons of privacy or sensitivity, or under a donor agreement. Access restrictions will be applied equally to all researchers and reviewed periodically. No researcher will be given access to any materials that contain a personal information bank such as donor agreements or personnel records, or to other proprietary information such as appraisals, insurance valuations, or condition reports.
Permission to study archival records does not extend to publication or display rights. The researcher must request this permission in writing from the Archives.
There is a series and file list.
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This series illuminates two important orphanage-related activities performed by the Sisters: collecting funds from surrounding rural communities and the annual Orphans’ Festival. These fundraising events were important as it was expensive to house and feed the orphaned and fostered children. Thus, the Sisters asked the community for support. The series contains news clippings, programs, photographs, ledgers and record books.
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Four record books make up this sub-series. These provide donation information from the surrounding communities of Haldimand County, Caledonia, Cayuga, and Hamilton. In 1854, Father Schneider of Goderich invited the Sisters to come to his mission to collect food for the orphans. From that time onward, the Sisters visited surrounding rural communities to raise monies to help fund the orphanage. These record books provide a list of individual names and businesses and the amount of their donations.
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This sub-series consists of various records dealing with the annual Orphans’ Festival. This festival began in 1853 in the Mechanics’ Hall. In later years, it moved into the Grand Opera building. The festival continued for 103 years, finishing in 1956. The orphaned and fostered children performed theatrical and musical numbers for the Hamilton community in order to help raise funds. The yearly festivals were successful, bringing in considerable amounts of money. There are two souvenir booklets from 1919 and 1920 which provide a detailed history of St. Mary’s Orphanage, as well as a list of festival sponsors. Articles about the Orphans’ Festival appear in the 1925 and 1926 issues of Catholic Magazine. These articles detail the importance of the festival. In the January 1926 issue, author F.E. Regan urged community members to attend and support the efforts of the Sisters. Addresses given at the festival also comprise this sub-series. These speeches show the spirit of the festivals and how popular and important they were both to the Sisters and to the Hamilton community. Ledgers of ticket sales provide a list of attendees, as well as how much they contributed to the event. Itinerary and sponsor information appears in the programmes. Receipts and invoices further show participating individuals and businesses, as well as their donations. Several festival advertisements and tickets also make up this sub-series. Newspaper clippings, photographs, and programmes are present in a large scrapbook.
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This series provides information about the daily expenses of running St. Mary’s Orphanage. For individual fostered children, information is given about the promised rate, the amount of board money actually received, who paid for the child’s stay, as well as how long the child remained in the care of the Sisters. Receipts and disbursements show the orphanage’s total expenses for 1958 and 1959. These documents provide information about how many boys versus girls were in the Sisters’ care, as well as the ages of the children. The public welfare accounting forms give details about each individual child, including age, rate per week, admission and discharge date, and the number of days in care. Additional information can be found in the records of orphan fees books (1902-1926 and 1925-1944). These books outline payment information regarding individual orphans’ care. Applications for provincial aid, Orphan Festival financial reports, and general financial reports also make up this series. Cash statements are provided for the period covering 1935 to 1940. These detail information such as the amount of money spent on clothing and feeding the children, Orphans’ Festival expenses, and general bills. The series also shows the amount of fees received from parents, the city of Hamilton, the Orphans’ Festival, and provincial government grants. The 1957 to 1965 journal lists items from the orphanage’s accounts payable and receivable. Items include bread, cereals, coal, water, and grant money. There are also receipt books that cover the years 1930 to 1943. These books give an in-depth look at what the Sisters were purchasing to run the orphanage.
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This series provide information about government regulations for orphanages in Ontario, including the 1965 Children’s Institutions Act and Regulations. These documents outline the rules surrounding the care of orphaned and fostered children. Detailed criteria had to be met. There are sections including general health and well-being, medical and dental care, nutrition, and clothing. Financial activities also had to be carried out within accordance to the law. Information about budgets, audits, and financing can also be found in these records. Annual inspections of the orphanage were done by the Department of Public Welfare. The inspection reports provide information about building safety, dietary conditions, and the physical and mental well-being of the children.
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Correspondence on varied matters can be found in this series. A May 9, 1939 letter from Mother Marguerite to Hamilton Mayor William Morrison discusses the one year “experiment” where the Sisters placed children in outside foster homes. There are also letters which discuss financial activities. An August 6, 1940 letter from the Hamilton Community Fund to Mother Marguerite states that $5,000 was bequeathed from the estate of the Honourable George Lynch-Staunton to be used to help fund the cost of the laundry. There is also correspondence between the orphanage and the Catholic Welfare Bureau regarding an increase in grant money for institutions caring for children. A 1959 letter written by the Mount St. Joseph Educational Committee discusses the higher education opportunities made available to orphaned children. A 1987 letter from Sullivan, Festeryga, Lawlor & Arrell discusses the Sisters setting up an informal voluntary disclosure registry.
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Several of the photographs were unlabeled, thus making it difficult to ascertain which orphanage building they depict; however, several were labeled as being taken at Mount St. Joseph. The Mount St. Joseph photographs are indicated in the file list.
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The majority of the photographs show children performing at the annual Orphans’ Festival. They are in various costumes posing for pictures, or they are performing on stage. The orphanage dining hall is featured in several photographs. Children are seen eating while the Sisters are working in the room. These images also show what the interior of the orphanage building looked like. Images of children playing games and holidays are also included in this series. There are also several photographs of the Sisters, such as an image of Sr. Clarice Van Tassel fixing a girl’s dress. Several photographs of children receiving their communion also comprise this series.
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This series includes reports of the Mount St. Joseph advisory board. The board acted in an advisory capacity to the Sisters of St. Joseph at Mount St. Joseph. The October 1952 to May 1953 report details the work accomplished by the board, including having showers, lights, and a fence installed at the orphanage. The June to September 1954 report lists some of the events that occurred over the summer. This includes information about donations to the orphanage. Minutes of the advisory board meetings also comprise this series. There is also correspondence about the use of funds and events occurring at the orphanage.
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This series includes historical summaries about St. Mary’s Orphanage, from the time the orphanage was located at 204 Park Street, to the House of Providence, Mount St. Joseph, and the Mount Carmel Infants’ Home. There is a list of the Sisters who worked in the orphanage from 1958 to 1961. There is also a timeline of events that outlines important milestones in the orphanage’s history, such as when it was moved into new buildings, and information about fundraising. A copy of the Motherhouse annals also comprises this series. There is also a brief summary of the history of the Mount Carmel Infants’ Home. Frank Mayer’s 1989, "There ‘With’ the Grace of God Go I", text details his life growing up in Hamilton. In Chapters 13-16, he recollects his time spent at St. Mary’s Orphanage in the early 1930s after the Great Depression made it difficult for his father to find work. He discusses topics such as the Orphans’ Festival, the building, the Sisters, as well as outlining what an average day was like living in the home. An October 26, 2015 Hamilton Spectator article details the demolition of Mount St. Joseph.
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The registers record significant information about the children who remained in the care of the orphanage. Some of the registers include those detailing day stays and children in residences. These sources provide the children’s name, admission and dismissal date, and age. There are also more detailed registers which provide information about both the boys and girls of St. Mary’s Orphanage. These books list the orphans’ name, date of birth, religious denomination, nationality, date of admission and discharge, date of death, who took them after they were discharged, and the duration of their time in care. The House of Providence Records 1893-1920 [1924] [St. Mary’s Branch House of Providence] provides the names and details of boys who were moved to a wing in the House of Providence between 1879 and 1900. There are also names of young girls listed in this register, which is the only evidence that orphan girls were also resident at the House of Providence. Another register lists information about orphans who received their religious sacraments. The Mount St. Carmel register lists information about the children who were cared for in this institution.
Access is restricted unless the records pertain to the person requesting the information, or consent has been given in writing by the person to whom the information pertains, or the records are 100 years old or more, or proof can be provided that the person to whom the records pertain has been dead for at least 30 years..
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This series is comprised of folders, data cards and envelopes relating to each individual child in care. The files and cards include orphanage application forms, correspondence about individual children, and vital records, including baptismal records.
Arrangement of orphan records A-Z was done alphabetically by surname.
Access to these records is restricted unless the records pertain to the person requesting the information, or consent has been given in writing by the person to whom the information pertains, or the records are 100 years old or more, or proof can be provided that the person to whom the records pertain has been dead for at least 30 years.
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This sub-series is comprised of application forms, correspondence about individual orphans, and children’s personal record forms. These forms detail information such as when the orphan was admitted, if they were baptized, date and place of birth, and family information such as parents’ names, occupations, and addresses. Correspondence includes letters with other orphanages about sending or accepting children from St. Mary’s Orphanage. There are also letters that detail financial and health information. A book of addresses also comprises this series. This book provides the addresses for parents who are fostering their children with the Sisters. There are also adoption papers, application papers, and papers listing admission and dismissal dates.
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This sub-series is comprised of baptismal certificates, summaries of individual information, and note cards detailing when the child was admitted into the orphanage. These note cards also give, in some cases, the reason for admission and family and health information.
Arrangement was done alphabetically by surname.
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